I've Never Replaced You
by lethalshikaino
Summary: The gang is right. Ino and Shikamaru had something going in between them through all those years of friendship. One night came when desired consumed them and they crossed the line from platonic friendship to passionate lovers. But there are a lot of hindrances appeared and they realized that it is better to stay just friends... and it was too late to go back now.
1. The Start of Something New

"**I've Never Replaced You"**

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**Greetings! This story is somehow inspired by the Filipino book I've read , written by Alonzo,A. I took some parts of it, so credits to the writer.:)**

NOTE: This story is in the modern time . It is not the usual ninja way. Enjoy and Appreciate!

(c) Naruto is Masashi Kisimoto's :)

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"Happy New Year!"  
Ino Yamanaka happily greeted her long time best friend Shikamaru Nara as the man invaded her huge house.  
"Happy New Year, troublesome." He kissed her cheek and hugged her tight. "Where's Auntie?" he referred to Ino's mom.

"She's in the kitchen . . . you know, instructing the maids." It was passed one in the morning in that time.

" Oh, my dear, it's good to see you!" Ino's mom greeted the 22-year old Nara with a smile.

"Happy New Year, Auntie." He smiled in return, and kissed Ino's mom right cheek. "I am here to fetch Ino for our little get-together party in our house… you know, college stuffs."

"Ohh. That's good. Don't go overboard, kay?", she reminded both of them. "And say my regards to Yoshino, Shikamaru." Now, that's Shikamaru's mom.

"Yes, Auntie", he said as he put his arm around Ino's shoulder.

"Bye, Mom!", the girl greeted her mother goodbye while they are going out of the house.

There houses are only 2 blocks away. In a short period of time, they reached the huge two-storey house of the Nara family. And in the front of his gate, their long-time friends were already there waiting.

"Are everybody ready? Let's party!" Naruto exclaimed.  
"Really that excited, huh", he said and greeted Hinata, Naruto's girlfriend.

"Shikamaru, does your mom know that we are going to spread terror here in your house this time?" Sasuke said coolly.

"Of course," Shikamaru replied confidently as he opened the gate. "You know, I'm not a ten-year-old who needs their parents all the time."

"Shikamaru, that's not the point." Sakura defended, Sasuke's girlfriend. "We all know that your mom is somehow anti-social, we are just making sure that this get-together wouldn't be a hassle.", she continued.

"That's somehow true, you know", he agreed. "As far as I know, she never hosted a party."  
"Actually, she's not here in the house. She stayed at our relatives in the outskirts of Konoha after the clan's reunion. We are the only people here." He continued with a smirk plastered in his face.

"Awesome! Naruto high-fived to Shikamaru excitedly. " A party with no limits, oh yea!"

"So, what are we waiting for?". Sasuke said as he went to the bar, directly to the cupboard where lots of liquors are placed and he opened its glass door, "What are going to take first?", he questioned.  
"This one." Naruto happily grabbed the Kame no O sake, the finest wine in Japan.  
"And if we are done with that one, we still got lots of different liquors there." Shikamaru announced.  
Everyone is just enjoying the night and chatting non-stop.

"Okay now, girls vs. boys!" Naruto stood up in his seat raising his glass.

"SURE! "Ino," Sakura said and faced Ino, "we all know that you are the only our bet when it comes to these things."

"That's true, Naruto replied, "sometimes I felt insecure of Ino because she can beat me in drinking."

"That's okay, man!" Shikamaru said as he slapped Naruto's arm playfully. "You're just trying to be proud of yourself sometimes."

"That's what I liked about you Shikamaru", Ino said while clapping her hands, "defend the girls!" she then stuck her tongue out to Naruto.

"Hey guys, today is new year", Hinata shyly reminded them, "Maybe we are not even drunk, there's already a fight." She continued.

"Nope, that's not gonna happen." Naruto said as he hugged Hinata, "I love you, Hina", and he started to put butterfly kisses on his girl's cheeks.

"Yuck,stop it." Ino said ridiculously as she is trying to cover her eyes as if she saw an explicit scene.

"You are just jealous" Sakura joked smirking and emphasizing that Sasuke is holding her hand.

"Okay, resume that later. Mind this one first." Shikamaru said as he distributes the shot glasses with tequila inside it. He knows that the talk will lead to him and Ino, teasing both of them.

"Game!" Naruto shouted.

"Toast, friends!" Ino said with high spirits as she raises her glass.

And the moment continued as they drink and drink.  
"The best, isn't it?" Shikamaru said with a smile while transferring the wine to his glass.  
"Shika, it's alright to drink little by little , right ? Ino questioned.  
"Of course, we have all the night, we don't have to rush this." He replied.  
"All right!" everyone simultaneously cheered.

When they almost finished half of the liquor, here the nonsense talks started , it was a natural thing when the spirit of sake possessed them.

"We all go back to the Shikamaru and Ino talk," Naruto said as he tapped Shikamaru's shoulder. "You know what, both of you are really meant for each other." "It was already a long period of time as we hope that you two will end up together", he continued.

"Ooohh.. You are already drunk , Naruto", Ino laughed as she put her palms to her forehead , her vision is already blurry but her mind is still alright.

"Hey, I am not drunk, I just have strong guts," the blonde boy replied, "And besides, I am not the only who thinks that." He continued.

"Yea! Sakura cut in. "Did you know that both of you are really matched?"  
She just silenced and glanced at Shikamaru to see if what his reaction is.  
The expression on his face said he was totally amused. But there is a spark in his eyes that she couldn't read what it means.

"And why is that?" the Nara questioned.

"You are both intelligent, you have the same hobbies in this world- mystery, thriller and sci-fic novels, bowling ,golf , billiard, pudding, cherry tomatoes, kelp, mackerel," one by one Sakura enumerated.

"Ino is really beautiful, like that of a model. And you, Shikamaru, you are good looking." Hinata added.

"So, Shikamaru is the good looking kidnapper of those beautiful leading ladies." Sasuke tried to joke.  
The gang started to laugh non-stop.

"May I remind you all, we should not insult the owner of the house," Ino said as she laugh.  
In fact, Shikamaru is really good looking, with the brain and IQ of more than 200. Plus, the body. _Oh Kami_. Those yummy abs. . ..

"And both of you are long-time friends" Sasuke said.  
"Correction, they are been tied since they were born." Sakura said coolly as if the reason is from a tested scientific research.

"Sak… our families are very close. Shika is like a big brother to me."  
Ino replied with a smile.

That somehow hit one of Shikamaru's nerves. "I totally agree, we are just having a brother-sister relationship." Shikamaru said trying to hide the stung in his voice and smiled.

"Wait a minute, remember your plans when we are in college , Shikamaru?, "that you don't want a troublesome wife ". Sasuke said.  
"Exactly." Nara replied.

Sasuke smirked, "well, remember the time when you said you want an average life?"

"Yea?" Shikamaru replied. "Go straight to the point man."

"You said you want an average wife, but look at you Shikamaru your life is more than average. It is like your plans are really opposite of what you really meant." Sasuke explained, that was the longest statements he said the whole time.

" That's exactly right, and troublesome is always your codename to Ino, so it means that you really want a troublesome wife, Shikamaru". Sakura added.

"Hey! I am not troublesome!" Ino complained and everyone continued to laugh.

"One more thing, Shikamaru is the one who always protect Ino that makes him the knight-in-shining-armor, right Ino? The man of your dreams? Sakura trying to embarrass Ino.  
"Cheers for the troublesome princess and the lazy knight-in-shining-armor!" Naruto exclaimed.

Because everyone is just having a good time, Ino and Shikamaru just ride on the talk though there is a little discomfort in Shikamaru's side because of the events.

It was already past four in the morning when the gang leaved the happiness. Shikamaru invited them to stay in his house to lighten up their drunkenness. But the two couples refused, they said that they are still in a good condition to go home, they all just live in the same village so no worries.

"I am just gonna help you clean-up, Shika. In fact, I am the one who has the nearest house," Ino volunteered while the others are saying their goodbyes.

"yyiiiiee….." the two couples teased before going out.  
"Go home directly!" Ino changed the topic while smiling.

In Shikamaru's house, except the low music from the CD component, the environment is very quiet. No words were heard as the two were cleaning up the mess. They were not even finished cleaning, when they heard that it started to rain. They rushed hurriedly to the terrace area.

"Oh my." Ino said looking at the sky, "We don't have any umbrellas, how can I go home?"  
"Let us just wait for the rain to stop. Troublesome, it's new year, inconsiderate rain."  
Suddenly , there is a spark in the blonde's eyes, as if it up for a challenged. "Wanna get soaked?"

The Nara smiled. He did like the suggestion; it can help lessen their drunkenness.

"Wew, this feels good. It was a long time since I've played in the rain". He said while taking off his shirt.

Ino laughed hardly , "Aww, the Nara is like a kid"… Ino joked while she splatters him with water.

The joke somehow hit a sensitive nerve because he stopped laughing and just stood up staring intensely at her. When their eyes locked with each other, the blonde knew that the stare is not because he got annoyed with the joke. Ino's face is like that of a cover model of a sexy magazine that rose up from the sea.

It was plastered in Shikamaru's head, her long blonde that is very wet. Her baby doll dress clung to her body, and its thin fabric that shows her curves at what made it worse is that the bra she is wearing has no padding. She knew she looked sexy as hell. He looked ready to devour her.

Ino also looked at the man from his head to . . . her eyes stopped in the guy's six-pack abs. His masculine chest was shining because of the droplets of rain. And the shadows of the leaves from the nearby tree were playing on his face.

Something stirred in her, like there was some wild animal that put to sleep that awoke inside a cage, hungry. Going wild to escape.  
God! He was so damned sexy.

There friends were right. She and Shikamaru had something going between them through all those years of friendship. They just didn't notice it, but there: in helping each other in all the circumstances, good or bad; for their tenderness after the hot discourse in political, social, psychological, and even religious issues. It is not normal for just friends and that's what their friends meant.

Shikamaru slowly walked towards her, his footsteps on the puddles echoing the beating of her heart. He stopped walking when he is in front of the woman, his chest touching the tips of her breasts. He brought his hand up to gently cares her cheek.

"Do you feel what I feel?" His face moved closer and closer to her.  
"That they are right and it is true that we have feeling with each other that we just do not acknowledge?" She put an arm on his chest and felt his heart racing. Her eyes were glued to his lips. Shikamaru answered by capturing her parted lips, one of his hands caressing her nape as he deepened the kiss. He put his arm around her waist to mold her body against his. She moaned in pleasure as she felt the hard pressure of his thighs.

Ino put her hands on Shikamaru's nape and kissed him feverishly in return. He lifted her, their lips still locked, and brought her to his room. Desire consumed them and within the next few minutes, they crossed the line of platonic friendship to passionate lovers.

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Thank you for reading! Please review! :)


	2. Morning Confessions

"**I've Never Replaced You"**

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Here is Chapter 2! Enjoy reading everyone! :)  
Again, this story is inspired by the Filipino book , I've read , respects to the writer!

(c) Naruto is Masashi Kisimoto's :)**  
**

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There is something tickling Ino's nose that's why she woke up in her peaceful sleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw up close the wet nose of a dog.  
When did she have a pet dog?

Aaah, right. She's not in her house and she's in the room of Shikamaru, lying in his king-sized bed. The dog is Yoku, the pet Golden Retriever of the Nara.

She petted the dog because she knows very well that it will not leave her until it will be given attention. When Yoku got contented, it lied on the floor near the foot of the bed. Sighing, she rested again on Shikamaru's shoulder. She breathed in his scent, closing her eyes once more. She felt the man's arm wrapped around her waist. And it's already morning…

Ino suddenly opened her eyes. Auntie Yoshino! She gonna arrive! She hurriedly went out of the bed; her chest is pounding so hard. It was accompanied by he bark of the dog because it was shocked in her sudden actions. And that's why Shikamaru woke up.

"What happened?" the Nara mumbled with his eyes nearly open.  
"I'm going home, Auntie Yoshino is coming." She started picking up her wet clothes that were scattered on the floor.  
"Hey, don't go home yet.' Come here, I'll fetch mom this evening, not now." His hand reached out to grab hers. "And the maids are not here, they are on vacation."

Ino smiled. "Shika, my mom is also looking for me." She draw near to him and seated on the bed and Shikamaru gently stroke Ino's hair.

"Huh, what time is it?" Shikamaru asked while looked at the wall clock. When he saw that it is still 6:25 in the morning, he pulled Ino again to the bed, they still needs to rest, Shikamaru's hand were caressing her chest. Ino stopped his playful fingers before her sanity will be affected, "Shika, I think we need to talk before something will happen again."

And the Nara's eyes opened completely. He transferred his hand to Ino's back and continued his sensual strokes there. His eyes roamed in Ino's angelic face as if memorizing all its lines. Then he said, "I've been attracted to you for the longest time, Ino. For me, you are the epitome of a perfect woman: strong, independent, intelligent, beautiful inside and out."

"But….?"  
"I thought you won't accept me."  
"Why did you think that way?" Ino watched him closely as he knit his brow in concentration.  
"Because we've been best friends for a long time, I don't know if you'll notice that my attraction is something romantic or just because we are a member of a mutual admiration club."

He got a point but Ino's heart pounded rapidly again, "I see what you mean. But I'm flattered, really."

"How about you?" He raised himself for one elbow, intent on getting something out of her, too. "Is there also something you can say to me that will make me flatter? , even just one word."

"Huh?" Ino doesn't know about flattery things. "I don't know, what do you think I should suppose to say?"

"Come on, think of it. "He persuaded. "One word or even just a phrase."

"Ah. . . . . . you are one of the most important people in my life. Someone I'll always cherish knowing and having shared part of my life with."

He looked like he was trying to absorb what she had said. "Do you think it will help if I will confess to you now what I said to Sakura, if I had the chance to have a boyfriend in the gang, I only thought you and only you?"

He kissed her before she started to speak again.  
"I've have something to say to you, more simple." There is a shine in his eyes like that of a person that is hiding a dirty secret.  
"Yes?" It was still not said but she was severely blushing in anticipation.  
He flashed a disarming smile. He slowly removed the bangs that covered most her face. "I love you, Ino."  
The blonde just smiled- a one wide smile.

"You have a stupid smile on your face," Shikamaru teased.

"Really?"

"How about me, how would I have a stupid a smile on my face?" The man questioned jokily.

"Uhh, then you just need to imitate me," she said shyly shielding his eyes from his gaze.

"I can't." He said and started to tickle her.

"Shika, stop it." She managed to say those words even though she almost cries in laughing.

"Come on troublesome, how can I have a stupid smile on my face?" He rested his head on her neck and started to nuzzle her ear.

"Shika…." She threaded her fingers through his hair and clutching it, brought his head up so she could see his face. "I love you, too."

A smile was slowly shown in Shikamaru's face.  
"There you go! I now have a stupid smile on my face!"

She kissed him, playfully nipping his earlobe, and then whispered sensually, "Make love to me."

Shikamaru moved to comply her wish.

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Tell me , what you think... Review! :))

- lethalshikaino


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